Leveling a Mage and i feel very squishy.

My Mage is level 25 with full enchanted heirlooms. I've noticed that i take a whole lot of damage compared to my other alts.
I tried to solo the big yeti in Hillsbrad Foothills. Yetimus the Yeti Lord. http://www.wowhead.com/npc=47484/yetimus-the-yeti-lord which i've had no problem doing on all of my other alts but i keep dying as a frost mage. i can't seem to get enough distance even with blink and 2x frost novas.

My question is: Are mages not a very good solo class? i main a Shadow Priest and a warlock and i am used to soloing pretty much everything while leveling and at level cap. This has put me off leveling quite a bit. Does it get better? Will my mage always be as squishy and will i have to forget soloing elite mobs and rares later?

Mages (and rogues) are probably weakest classes for soloing big stuff, especially if it can't be stunned/rooted and that goes both for leveling and level cap. Unless you can keep your target in slows/roots/stuns or kill it before it does any damage to you, you won't even come close to soloing capabilities of hybrids or pet classes.

Mages and Rogues are the two worst soloing classes. Mages however are very good at soloing if the thing you're soloing can be slowed, rooted, and/or stunned (the more the better). If it can be, you should have no problems taking down whatever you're trying to take down. Arcane has Slow on ABL, Fire can use FFB over Fireball (use glyph!) and Frost... Need I explain that one?

Now if you can't slow, root, or stun the enemy you're soloing, then yeah, prepare to get killed over and over.

That's because mages are the squishiest class in the game. You feel as you are supposed to.

In terms of armor and HP values, yes, but in terms of survivability, this is actually false, depending on what enemy you're facing. A rogue will have a significantly harder time surviving over a Mage if you can kite it all day. Also, if it's lower level stuff, Ice Barrier is at near-broken levels.

Mages (and rogues) are probably weakest classes for soloing big stuff, especially if it can't be stunned/rooted and that goes both for leveling and level cap. Unless you can keep your target in slows/roots/stuns or kill it before it does any damage to you, you won't even come close to soloing capabilities of hybrids or pet classes.

This ^

Magi are made to be squishy, that is why we have so many ways to keep an enemy away from us. If you can't keep an enemy away we have our second tier of talents that will allow you to take a little more damage than you normally would but we are not a face-tank class. Basically if you cant freeze, stun or zerg your target down (using mirror images to tank) then you will be smashed.

Edit: I just realized my above thoughts were not expressed properly. In essence you have to root, slow and stun mobs that are able to be slowed/rooted/stunned. If you can not do any of these against a mob (do monsters like this even exist while questing?) you are going to have to use Mirror Images and make the most of the time they are tanking the mob.

In terms of armor and HP values, yes, but in terms of survivability, this is actually false, depending on what enemy you're facing. A rogue will have a significantly harder time surviving over a Mage if you can kite it all day. Also, if it's lower level stuff, Ice Barrier is at near-broken levels.

Mages can barely survive the damage from the Assassins at Nazgrim, despite facing them. Most other classes get hit for less than half as much.

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Originally Posted by Heavenyo

Are mages not a very good solo class? i main a Shadow Priest and a warlock and i am used to soloing pretty much everything while leveling and at level cap.

Mages are one of the few classes who can solo anything at level cap on Timeless Isle, Priests can barely solo any of the bigger mobs there.